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Lion of the Desert

October 29, 2023

Lion of the Desert is a 1980 epic historical war film about the Second Italo-Senussi War, starring Anthony Quinn as Libyan tribal leader Omar Mukhtar, a Bedouin leader fighting the Regio Esercito (Royal Italian Army), and Oliver Reed as Italian General Rodolfo Graziani, who defeated Mukhtar. It was directed by Moustapha Akkad.[1]

Lion of the Desert
Lion of the Desert DVD cover
Lion of the Desert
Directed byMoustapha Akkad
Written byH.A.L. Craig
Produced byMoustapha Akkad
StarringAnthony Quinn
Oliver Reed
Rod Steiger
Raf Vallone
CinematographyJack Hildyard
Edited byJohn Shirley
Music byMaurice Jarre
Production
company
Falcon International Productions
Distributed byUnited Film Distribution Company
Release date
  • 17 April 1981 (1981-04-17)
Running time
173 minutes
CountriesLibya
United States
LanguagesEnglish
Arabic
Italian
BudgetUS$35 million[citation needed]

Released in May 1981, the film has received positive reviews from critics, but performed poorly at the box office, gaining revenues of US$1.5 million worldwide despite having a $35 million budget.[2][3] The film was banned in Italy in 1982 and was only shown on pay TV in 2009.

Plot Edit

In 1929, Italian fascist dictator Benito Mussolini (Rod Steiger) is still faced with the 10-year-long war waged by patriots in the Italian colony of Libya to combat Italian colonization and the establishment of "The Fourth Shore"—the rebirth of a Roman Empire in Africa. Mussolini appoints General Rodolfo Graziani (Oliver Reed) as his sixth governor of Libya, confident that the eminently accredited soldier and fascist Grande can crush the rebellion and restore the dissipated glories of Imperial Rome. Omar al-Mukhtar (Anthony Quinn) leads the resistance to the fascists. A teacher by profession, guerrilla by obligation, Mukhtar had committed himself to a war that cannot be won in his own lifetime. Graziani controls Libya with the might of the Regio Esercito (Royal Italian Army). Tanks and aircraft are used in the desert for the first time. The Italians also committed atrocities - killing of prisoners of war, destruction of crops, and imprisoning populations in concentration camps behind barbed wire.

The film starts by introducing the audience to the historical context of the film. This introductory scene is part of historic records that present the rise of fascism in Italy and how it impacted Libya tragically. The scene concludes by stating that the characters and the events in this film are real and based on historical facts. The first scene after the introduction starts with Mussolini in Italy, who created the Fascist Party in Italy, complaining about his generals’ defeats in Libya. To crush the Libyan resistance after 20 years of failure, and after losing five of the best Italian generals, Mussolini sends his most skillful general, Graziani, to Libya. This scene is then contrasted with a scene of Omar Al-Mokhtar, the old teacher who turned into a fighting rebel during the Italian colonization, teaching his young students in Libya. Graziani goes to Libya and starts his campaign to crush the rebellion. The Libyans show great tenacity and make enormous sacrifices to defend their country.

Despite their bravery, the Libyan Arabs and Berbers suffered heavy losses, because their relatively primitive weaponry was no match for mechanised warfare; despite all this, they continued to fight and managed to keep the Italians from achieving complete victory for 20 years. Graziani was only able to achieve victory through deceit, deception, violation of the laws of war and human rights, and by the use of tanks and aircraft.

Omar Al-Mokhtar shows great perseverance and wisdom in leading the resistance movement. He enters into negotiations with the Italians to liberate Libya, but never reaches a deal with them because they pretend to negotiate only to win time. They ask him for significant concessions and promise him some materialistic rewards to end the resistance movement, but Al-Mukhtar never accepts any of that, even after they captured him. They hang him in public to show the Libyans that resisting them is useless, but the resistance does not stop with his death.

Despite the Libyans' lack of modern weaponry, Graziani recognized the skill of his adversary in waging guerrilla warfare. In one scene, Mukhtar refuses to kill a defenseless young officer, instead giving him the Italian flag to bring home to Italy. Mukhtar says that Islam forbids him to kill captured soldiers and demands that he only fight for his homeland, and that Muslims are taught to hate war itself.

In the end, Mukhtar is captured and tried as a rebel. His lawyer, Captain Lontano, states that since Mukhtar had never accepted Italian rule, he cannot be tried as a rebel and instead must be treated as a prisoner of war (which would save him from being hanged). The judge rejects this, and the film ends with Mukthar being publicly executed by hanging.

Cast Edit

Music Edit

The musical score of Lion of the Desert was composed and conducted by Maurice Jarre, and performed by the London Symphony Orchestra.[citation needed] The songs "Giovinezza", "Marcia Reale", and "O sole mio" are played, but are not credited.

Soundtrack Edit

Track listing for the first release on LP Edit

Side one (19:12) Edit
  1. Omar the Teacher
  2. Italian Invasion
  3. Resistance
  4. The Lion of the Desert
Side two (19:33) Edit
  1. The Displacement
  2. The Concentration Camp
  3. The Death
  4. March of Freedom

Track listing for the first release on CD Edit

  1. Omar the Teacher (04:26)
  2. Prelude: Libya 1929 (02:24)
  3. The Execution of Hamid (05:04)
  4. Desert Ambush (01:46)
  5. Omar Enters Camp (04:15)
  6. The Empty Saddle
  7. March to Demination (05:19)
  8. Ismail's Sacrifice (02:36)
  9. I Must Go (02:27)
  10. Graziani's Triumph (01:41)
  11. Entr'acte (02:19)
  12. Concentration Camp (03:15)
  13. Italian Invasion (01:32)
  14. Starvation (00:53)
  15. The Hanging (01:27)
  16. General Graziani (03:00)
  17. Charge (01:23)
  18. Phoney Triumph (04:38)
  19. Omar's Wife (03:22)
  20. Omar Taken (02:38)
  21. The Death of Omar (01:38)
  22. March of Freedom (With Choir) (03:59)

Censorship in Italy Edit

The Italian authorities banned the film in 1982 because, in the words of Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti, it was "damaging to the honor of the army".[4] The last act of the government's intervention against the film was on April 7, 1987, in Trento; afterward, MPs from Democrazia Proletaria asked Parliament to show the movie at the Chamber of Deputies.[4]

The movie was finally broadcast on television in Italy by Sky Italy on June 11, 2009, during the official visit to Italy of Libya's then leader Muammar Gaddafi, whose government funded the movie.

In 2015, the book Staging Memory by Stefania Del Monte dedicates a whole section to the movie.[citation needed]

Reception Edit

Cinema historian Stuart Galbraith IV writes about the movie: "A fascinating look inside a facet of Arab culture profoundly significant yet virtually unknown outside North Africa and the Arab world. Lion of the Desert is a Spartacus-style, David vs. Goliath tale that deserves more respect than it has to date. It's not a great film, but by the end, it becomes a compelling one."[5]

The verdict of British historian Alex von Tunzelmann about the movie is: "Omar Mukhtar has been adopted as a figurehead by many Libyan political movements, including both Gaddafi himself and the rebels currently fighting him. Lion of the Desert is half an hour too long and hammy in places, but its depiction of Italian colonialism and Libyan resistance is broadly accurate."[6]

Film critic Vincent Canby writes: "Spectacular… virtually an unending series of big battle scenes."[7]

Clint Morris describes the movie as: "A grand epic adventure that'll stand as a highpoint in the producing career of Moustapha Akkad."[8]

See also Edit

References Edit

  1. ^ Omar Mukhtar - Lion of the Desert imdb.com
  2. ^ "Lion of the Desert". Rotten Tomatoes.
  3. ^ "Latest Ranking on Cumulative Box Office Lists".
  4. ^ a b . www.scriptamanent.net. Archived from the original on May 8, 2017. Retrieved January 4, 2007.
  5. ^ Lion of the Desert: 25th Anniversary Edition, Review by Stuart Galbraith IV, dvdtalk.com, 07.12.2005
  6. ^ Lion of the Desert roars for Libya's rebels, The Guardian, Alex von Tunzelmann, 30.06.2011.
  7. ^ LION OF THE DESERT, BEDOUIN VS. MUSSOLINI, New York Times, 17.04.1981
  8. ^ Film Threat, 8 July 2010, Review by Clint Morris

External links Edit

October 29, 2023
lion, desert, 1980, epic, historical, film, about, second, italo, senussi, starring, anthony, quinn, libyan, tribal, leader, omar, mukhtar, bedouin, leader, fighting, regio, esercito, royal, italian, army, oliver, reed, italian, general, rodolfo, graziani, def. Lion of the Desert is a 1980 epic historical war film about the Second Italo Senussi War starring Anthony Quinn as Libyan tribal leader Omar Mukhtar a Bedouin leader fighting the Regio Esercito Royal Italian Army and Oliver Reed as Italian General Rodolfo Graziani who defeated Mukhtar It was directed by Moustapha Akkad 1 Lion of the DesertLion of the Desert DVD coverLion of the DesertDirected byMoustapha AkkadWritten byH A L CraigProduced byMoustapha AkkadStarringAnthony QuinnOliver ReedRod SteigerRaf ValloneCinematographyJack HildyardEdited byJohn ShirleyMusic byMaurice JarreProductioncompanyFalcon International ProductionsDistributed byUnited Film Distribution CompanyRelease date17 April 1981 1981 04 17 Running time173 minutesCountriesLibyaUnited StatesLanguagesEnglishArabicItalianBudgetUS 35 million citation needed Released in May 1981 the film has received positive reviews from critics but performed poorly at the box office gaining revenues of US 1 5 million worldwide despite having a 35 million budget 2 3 The film was banned in Italy in 1982 and was only shown on pay TV in 2009 Contents 1 Plot 2 Cast 3 Music 3 1 Soundtrack 3 1 1 Track listing for the first release on LP 3 1 1 1 Side one 19 12 3 1 1 2 Side two 19 33 3 1 2 Track listing for the first release on CD 4 Censorship in Italy 5 Reception 6 See also 7 References 8 External linksPlot EditIn 1929 Italian fascist dictator Benito Mussolini Rod Steiger is still faced with the 10 year long war waged by patriots in the Italian colony of Libya to combat Italian colonization and the establishment of The Fourth Shore the rebirth of a Roman Empire in Africa Mussolini appoints General Rodolfo Graziani Oliver Reed as his sixth governor of Libya confident that the eminently accredited soldier and fascist Grande can crush the rebellion and restore the dissipated glories of Imperial Rome Omar al Mukhtar Anthony Quinn leads the resistance to the fascists A teacher by profession guerrilla by obligation Mukhtar had committed himself to a war that cannot be won in his own lifetime Graziani controls Libya with the might of the Regio Esercito Royal Italian Army Tanks and aircraft are used in the desert for the first time The Italians also committed atrocities killing of prisoners of war destruction of crops and imprisoning populations in concentration camps behind barbed wire The film starts by introducing the audience to the historical context of the film This introductory scene is part of historic records that present the rise of fascism in Italy and how it impacted Libya tragically The scene concludes by stating that the characters and the events in this film are real and based on historical facts The first scene after the introduction starts with Mussolini in Italy who created the Fascist Party in Italy complaining about his generals defeats in Libya To crush the Libyan resistance after 20 years of failure and after losing five of the best Italian generals Mussolini sends his most skillful general Graziani to Libya This scene is then contrasted with a scene of Omar Al Mokhtar the old teacher who turned into a fighting rebel during the Italian colonization teaching his young students in Libya Graziani goes to Libya and starts his campaign to crush the rebellion The Libyans show great tenacity and make enormous sacrifices to defend their country Despite their bravery the Libyan Arabs and Berbers suffered heavy losses because their relatively primitive weaponry was no match for mechanised warfare despite all this they continued to fight and managed to keep the Italians from achieving complete victory for 20 years Graziani was only able to achieve victory through deceit deception violation of the laws of war and human rights and by the use of tanks and aircraft Omar Al Mokhtar shows great perseverance and wisdom in leading the resistance movement He enters into negotiations with the Italians to liberate Libya but never reaches a deal with them because they pretend to negotiate only to win time They ask him for significant concessions and promise him some materialistic rewards to end the resistance movement but Al Mukhtar never accepts any of that even after they captured him They hang him in public to show the Libyans that resisting them is useless but the resistance does not stop with his death Despite the Libyans lack of modern weaponry Graziani recognized the skill of his adversary in waging guerrilla warfare In one scene Mukhtar refuses to kill a defenseless young officer instead giving him the Italian flag to bring home to Italy Mukhtar says that Islam forbids him to kill captured soldiers and demands that he only fight for his homeland and that Muslims are taught to hate war itself In the end Mukhtar is captured and tried as a rebel His lawyer Captain Lontano states that since Mukhtar had never accepted Italian rule he cannot be tried as a rebel and instead must be treated as a prisoner of war which would save him from being hanged The judge rejects this and the film ends with Mukthar being publicly executed by hanging Cast EditAnthony Quinn as Omar al Mukhtar Oliver Reed as General Rodolfo Graziani Irene Papas as Mabrouka Raf Vallone as Diodiece Rod Steiger as Mussolini John Gielgud as El Gariani Andrew Keir as Salem Gastone Moschin as Tomelli Stefano Patrizi as Sandrini Adolfo Lastretti as Sarsani Sky du Mont as Prince Amedeo Duke of Aosta Takis Emmanuel as Bu Matari Rodolfo Bigotti as Ismail Robert Brown as Al Fadeel Eleonora Stathopoulou as Ali s Mother Luciano Bartoli as Captain Lontano Claudio Goro as Court President Giordano Falzoni as Judge at Camp Franco Fantasia as Graziani s Aide Ihab Werfaly as AliMusic EditThe musical score of Lion of the Desert was composed and conducted by Maurice Jarre and performed by the London Symphony Orchestra citation needed The songs Giovinezza Marcia Reale and O sole mio are played but are not credited Soundtrack Edit Track listing for the first release on LP Edit Side one 19 12 Edit Omar the Teacher Italian Invasion Resistance The Lion of the DesertSide two 19 33 Edit The Displacement The Concentration Camp The Death March of FreedomTrack listing for the first release on CD Edit Omar the Teacher 04 26 Prelude Libya 1929 02 24 The Execution of Hamid 05 04 Desert Ambush 01 46 Omar Enters Camp 04 15 The Empty Saddle March to Demination 05 19 Ismail s Sacrifice 02 36 I Must Go 02 27 Graziani s Triumph 01 41 Entr acte 02 19 Concentration Camp 03 15 Italian Invasion 01 32 Starvation 00 53 The Hanging 01 27 General Graziani 03 00 Charge 01 23 Phoney Triumph 04 38 Omar s Wife 03 22 Omar Taken 02 38 The Death of Omar 01 38 March of Freedom With Choir 03 59 Censorship in Italy EditThe Italian authorities banned the film in 1982 because in the words of Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti it was damaging to the honor of the army 4 The last act of the government s intervention against the film was on April 7 1987 in Trento afterward MPs from Democrazia Proletaria asked Parliament to show the movie at the Chamber of Deputies 4 The movie was finally broadcast on television in Italy by Sky Italy on June 11 2009 during the official visit to Italy of Libya s then leader Muammar Gaddafi whose government funded the movie In 2015 the book Staging Memory by Stefania Del Monte dedicates a whole section to the movie citation needed Reception EditCinema historian Stuart Galbraith IV writes about the movie A fascinating look inside a facet of Arab culture profoundly significant yet virtually unknown outside North Africa and the Arab world Lion of the Desert is a Spartacus style David vs Goliath tale that deserves more respect than it has to date It s not a great film but by the end it becomes a compelling one 5 The verdict of British historian Alex von Tunzelmann about the movie is Omar Mukhtar has been adopted as a figurehead by many Libyan political movements including both Gaddafi himself and the rebels currently fighting him Lion of the Desert is half an hour too long and hammy in places but its depiction of Italian colonialism and Libyan resistance is broadly accurate 6 Film critic Vincent Canby writes Spectacular virtually an unending series of big battle scenes 7 Clint Morris describes the movie as A grand epic adventure that ll stand as a highpoint in the producing career of Moustapha Akkad 8 See also EditThe Battle of Algiers a similar movie about Algerian resistance against French occupation Libyan resistance movement Italian Libya List of Islamic films The MessageReferences Edit Omar Mukhtar Lion of the Desert imdb com Lion of the Desert Rotten Tomatoes Latest Ranking on Cumulative Box Office Lists a b Culture and Books Review third year twenty fourth issue Sept Oct 2005 www scriptamanent net Archived from the original on May 8 2017 Retrieved January 4 2007 Lion of the Desert 25th Anniversary Edition Review by Stuart Galbraith IV dvdtalk com 07 12 2005 Lion of the Desert roars for Libya s rebels The Guardian Alex von Tunzelmann 30 06 2011 LION OF THE DESERT BEDOUIN VS MUSSOLINI New York Times 17 04 1981 Film Threat 8 July 2010 Review by Clint MorrisExternal links EditLion of the Desert at IMDb Lion of the Desert at Rotten Tomatoes Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Lion of the Desert amp oldid 1180660116, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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